This Must Be What Kobe Had in Mind
The Man. For one of the best teams in the league. With talent around him, but talent that defers to him. That allows him to pace himself a bit before "winnin' time" ...
That must be what Kobe Bryant had in mind when the Lakers traded Shaquille O'Neal in the summer of 2004. How he saw his future. Like, his immediate future.
No more deferring to The BIg Aristotle, no more "sidekick" zingers aimed at him.
Well, the "who's in charge" thing went away, the moment Shaq left.
But the other half of Kobe's plans didn't happen. He didn't have enough talent around him, for three years. Which is about how long it took him to figure out that, no, he could NOT be a contending team all by himself. Prompting last summer's monthlong rants directed at management and teammates.
It took three years, but slowly the pieces fell into place. And they clicked together within months of Kobe trashing the organization -- which just shows that not even players can see these things coming.
The drafting of Sasha Vujacic (2004), Andrew Bynum (2005), Ronny Turiaf (2005, second-rounder) and Jordan Farmar (2006). The maturation of Luke Walton. The signing of Vlad Radmanovic (2006) and Derek Fisher (2007).
And the trade for Pau Gasol, a 20-and-10 guy.
Four seasons into the Kobe Era, the Lakers are 43-18. Bryant seems to be having more fun than ever, and appears to be totally invested in "his" team. Witness the spurt of manic energy in the second half of the fourth quarter at Sacramento last night. He scored 17 points in the final six minutes, and the Lakers won a game that looked lost.
And it struck me, as Kobe pounded his chest and tugged at his jersey, that THIS is what he signed up for, back in the summer of 2004. This is what he thought it would be like. And because it was deferred for three years ... it now seems even more special and precious to him.
The Lakers may not win a championship this June ... but not from lack of effort from Kobe Bryant.
Comments
Paul,
So sorry to hear the terrible news that you've been "let go" in this downsizing blood bath. I read your stuff religiously and visit your blog daily. You will be missed.
I look forward to reading your stories/insight again, so wherever you land, get the word out!
Posted by: Nellie | March 7, 2008 4:32 AM
Sorry to hear you got laid off Paul. The industry won't be the same without you. While I never agreed with you on everything, it was clear you cared deeply about San Bernardino and the sports scene. I hope you find somewhere to keep writing.
Posted by: Aaron | March 7, 2008 10:42 PM